Automatic lap winding apparatus



July 31, 1956 RYUHEI KAWAZURA 2,756,939

AUTOMATIC LAP WINDING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 9. 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 RYUHE/ KAWA ZURA.

United States Patent AUTOMATIC LAP WINDING APPARATUS Ryuhei Kawazura, Higashi-nada-ku, Kobe, Japan Application September 9, 1952, Serial N 0. 308,545

Claims priority, application Japan December 22, 1 951 4 Claims. (Cl. 242-55.1)

This invention relates to a process of automatic lap Winding without halting the operation of the scutcher.

In a process of lap winding in the heretofore known scutcher, the operation of the machine was stopped every time a fixed length of lap had been wound, thereby causing variations in the amount of lap and a decrease in efficiency of the machine due to suspension of operation, as well as an increase of heavy labor levied on operators.

The object of the process of this invention is to eliminate the above deficiencies by presenting a process wherein non-stop operation is made possible. As it is a non-stop operation, the efficiency of machines is highly improved, and it is possible not only to operate substantially without manual labor but also to obtain correct fixed amount of lap at all times, resulting in the production of yarns of superior quality.

In the drawings attached, whereinan embodiment of the process of this invention is presented, Fig. l is a side view and Fig. 2 is a front view, both showing the state of the machine when a predetermined length of lap has been wound up. Fig. 3 is a partial side view and Fig. 4 is a partial front view of the machine of the present invention, both views are drawn to an enlarged scale and show the machine at the beginning of the lap winding operation.

In the process of this invention, a series of mechanisms relative to lap winding in a scutcher is made to operate automatically while the machine is in operation, and it concerns five actions enumerated below, which are performed smoothly and continuously yet without failure when lap reaches a fixed length. Five actions are:

l. Supplying of taper lap rollers.

2. Ascending and descending of anti-friction rack.

3. Marking of cutting line of fixed length of lap, and cutting off of lap.

4. Winding of cut end of lap upon a taper lap roller.

5. Discharging of lap wherein a fixed length has been wound up.

Descriptions will now be made with reference to an embodiment of this invention as shown in the drawings.

1 is the lap being wound upon a taper lap roller; 2 and 3 are fluted lap rollers; 5 is an anti-friction rack which exerts braking action upon a shaft 4 of the taper lap roller; 6 is a pinion meshing with an anti-friction rack 5; 7 is a brake wheel; 8 is a brake lever to exert brake upon the brake wheel 7; 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 are actuating earns; 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 21 and 22 are actuating levers each being combined with the above mentioned actuating cams respectively; 23 are reserved taper rollers; 24 is a feed shaft; 25 is a supporting hook; 26 is a conveyor chain; 27 is a sprocket wheel for driving conveyor chains; 28 and 29 are guide idlers for conveyor chains; 30 and 31 are speed-increasing driving clutches for the shaft of the pinion 6 and the fluted lap rollers 2 and 3, respectively; 32 is a sector lever which brings the winding roller 33 into its proper position, the roller 33 causing the end of the lap to start winding around the taper lap roller; 34 is a discharge frame which discharges over of the cam 13 and the lever 24).

fluted lap rollers 2 and 3, a taper lap roller having wound a fixed length; and 35 is a plate which pre-marks a cutting line at places of cutting off in the lap.

Now, when the lap 1 is about to finish winding of its fixed length, first of all, a cutting line marking plate 35 is made to act by the actions of cam 14 and lever 21 to mark a cutting line transversely of a passing band 36 of the lap, clearly indicating the winding end of a fixed length of the lap. When this cutting line comes in between the contact point 37 formed between two calender rollers below and a contact point 39 formed between a fluted lap roller 3 and a cell roller 38, a clutch 31 is activated abruptly by the action of the cam 12 and the lever 19, thereby increasing the revolutions of fluted lap rollers 2 and 3 carrying the lap thereupon, by several times to cut the band of lap off at the cutting line. As soon as the lap 1 is wound up, brake lever 8 is pressed down by the action of the cam 9 and the lever 16. Simultaneously, as a result of the engagement of the clutch 30 through the action of the cam 10 and the lever 17, the rack 5 rises due to the, action of the pinion 6 and the rack 5 which are provided, and the shaft 4 of the taper lap roller is disengaged from a recess at the upper portion of the rack 5, thereby resulting in discharging of the discharge frame 34 over the fluted lap roller 2 into a receiver (not shown) at the front through the action Next, by the action of the feed shaft 24, one of the reserved taper lap rollers 23 is brought, in advance, to the hook 25 attached to a place in conveyor chains, and by the action of the cam 15 and the lever 22, the sprocket wheel 27 forming an outer tube of a cone clutch and a drive pulley 40 forming an inner tube of the cone clutch are brought into union, thereby the rotation is derived from the power drive shaft (not shown) through the belt on the pulley 40. As the conveyor chains move, the taper lap roller supported in the hooks 25 is dropped above the fluted lap rollers 2 and 3 into the recesses 42 on the side walls of the machine base.

As may be seen from Figs. 3 and 4, the arms which carry the winding roller 33 are fixed by members 46 to the shaft which carries the pinions 44 which respectively mesh with the teeth 43 of the levers 32. Springs 47 urge the pinions 44 in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 3, to maintain the arms and rollers 33 in the dotted line position, as well as to retain the levers 32 in a position where they extend across the recesses of the frame. When the empty lap roller falls into the recesses, the ends of the shaft 4 thereof move the levers 32 downwardly to turn pinions 44 and rollers 33 in a clockwise direction to the solid line position shown in Fig. 3, so that the rollers 33 will start the winding of the lap band on the empty lap roller. Rollers 45 are turnably carried by the free ends of the arms which carry the rollers 33 and these rollers 45 frictionally engage the fluted roller 2 when the parts are in the solid line position shown in Fig. 3 so that the rollers 45 turn by engagement with the rollers 2. A pair of gears transmit the rotation of each roller 45 to the winding rollers 33 so that with the apparatus of the invention the winding roller 33 is positively driven. In the meantime, when the brake lever 8 is released by being pressed through the action of the cam 9 and the lever 16, the rack descends, and acting upon the shaft on both ends of the taper lap roller it exerts braking action thereupon. Thus, when the lap is successively wound up, the taper lap roller shaft 4 successively rises. Therefore, the sector lever 32 which has been pressed down, rises due to the action of a rebound spring (not shown) acting on the pinion 44, and consequently, the winding roller 33 returns to its original position and does not impede the operation of lap winding.

The lap is wound up by repeating the operations stated above in succession and therefore, by merely supplying the reserved taper lap rollers to the proper position, subsequent steps are automatically carried out without stopping the operation of the machine. In the heretofore known processes, it was necessary to stop the cotton sending mechanism every time a taper lap roller was wound up. Hence, in few yards of initial winding portions, lap specks were produced, thereby causing these portions to be discarded. By the process of this invention, the profit derived would be enormous, as such waste is eliminated; the burden on operators is diminished; the increase in efficiency due to non-stop operation brings about an increase in production; and at times it is possible to de crease the number of machines to be employed.

What I claim is: i

1. In an automatic lap winding apparatus, in combination, a frame having a pair of opposite side walls respectively formed in their upper edge portions With a pair of aligned recesses having open tops and adapted to have the ends of a lap roller respectively extending therethrough; a pair of fluted rollers turnably carried by and extending between said side Walls adjacent to said recesses to cooperate with the lap roller for winding a lap band thereon; a winding roller located over said fluted rollers for starting the winding of a lap band on the lap roller; a pair of arms turnably carried by said side walls, respectively, and turnably carrying said Winding roller, said arms being mounted on said side walls for turning movement about an axis spaced from said recesses by a distance equal to the distance of said winding roller from said axis so that turning of said arms moves said winding roller to and from a position adjacent to said fluted rollers; lever means turnably mounted on said side Walls and extending across at least one of said recesses to be actuated by the end of an empty lap roller; and means for transmitting movement of said lever means to said arms for moving said winding roller to said position thereof when an empty lap roller engages said lever means, so that said winding roller automatically starts the winding of a lap band on the lap roller, and the lap roller rising away from said lever means to free said winding roller for movement away from said fluted rollers as the thickness of the band wound on the lap roller increases.

2. In an apparatus as defined in claim 1, a driving roller turnably mounted on at least one of said arms and engaging one of said fluted rollers when said winding roller is in said position thereof; and means for transmitting rotation of said driving roller to said winding roller so that the latter turns while said driving roller engages said one fluted roller.

3. In an apparatus as defined in claim 2, spring means operatively connected to said arms for turning the latter and said Winding roller therewith away from said fluted rollers.

4. In an apparatus as defined in claim 1, said means for transmitting movement of said lever means to said arms comprising at least one pinion fixed to one of said arms and being turnable about said axis and gear teeth formed in a lever of said lever means and meshing with said pinion to turn the latter and said arms therewith upon movement of said lever means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,734,302 Rarnsdell Nov. 5, 1929 2,031,066 Ramsdell Feb. 18, 1936 2,078,355 Weinbrenner Apr. 27, 1937 2,617,608 Carter Nov. 11, 1952 2,669,756 Szaloki et a1. Feb. 23, 1954 2,670,152 Priest Feb. 23, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 369,336 Great Britain Mar. 24, 1932 687,370 Great Britain Feb. 11, 1953 1,049,476 France Aug. 19, 1953 

